Page 88 of The Billionaire's Destiny

“Wait for me,” Rocco called back.

I let out a sob.

“You’re going to be fine. Hang on. The ambulance is coming, Bella. Do you hear them?”

At first, the sirens were only a distant wail, but soon they swelled. I closed my eyes and floated, but felt a sharp pat on my cheek. “Bella, keep your eyes open.” More footsteps…a gurney.

Rocco said, “I’ll lift her.”

“We have her, Mr. Marini, please.” Rocco stepped aside, and gentle hands eased me onto my back. A mask pressed over my face. As I turned, Rocco’s blood-streaked fingers brushed my cheek, leaving a delicate trail like a paintbrush on canvas.

I caught a glimpse of him; his eyes filled with desperate hope as he ran alongside me before I let the darkness take me.

Am I dying?

“Read to me, Mommy.”

There he is; our boy! My heart soars as I catch the glint of his steel-blue eyes and the tumble of his dark, wavy hair. For a brief moment, his eyes seem glassy, reflecting the light like a gentle mirror. His grin, mischievous and bright, is Rocco’s twin. Uncanny.

“I’d love to. Should we go to your bedroom?” I glance around, but the world swims out of focus, as if I am peering through a foggy lens, like an unfocused microscope.

“Mommy?”

My brow twitches ever so slightly, betraying the panic beneath. I hear a name whispered in my head. Emanuele. His name is Emanuele. “Emanuele.”

He nods eagerly, lifting the book high so I can see its cover.

Alice Through the Looking Glass.

“Where’s the other book?” I say, frowning in confusion. We are still reading Alice in Wonderland, and are many chapters away from the sequel. An icy dread creeps over me.

“We don’t have time,” Emanuele says, his form smudging at the edges like a watercolor left in the rain. Though I can still make out his lower lip trembling. “You have to go.”

A sharp ache twists through my chest as I sink to my knees, clutching him; he’s my last lifeline. Am I his or is he mine?

Suddenly, he feels solid in my arms again, and I cradle him, pouring in all my love like a flowing stream. “Please. I don’t want to leave you. Tell me how I can stay.”

His arms wrap around me, and he lets out a deep sigh that radiates contentment.

“You can’t stay here,” he says.

“Emanuele. Emanuele, please…”

Beep. Beep.The heart monitor echoed from somewhere deep inside me, a distant drumbeat reminding me I was still here. I willed my eyes to open, but they refused. My body lay heavy, breathing in the cool air from a mask. But something else was there…Yes. I can hear now.It was the familiar rumble of Rocco’s voice.

“I never truly grasped the meaning of love until you, Bella. Your strength amazes me. No matter what, you always rise again. That’s just one of the countless reasons I love you. You’re a survivor, a fighter. Right now, I feel so weak, baby. I don’t know how to go on without you. Damn it. You shouldn’t be lying here. I failed you. I swore I’d protect you, and I broke that promise. You deserve so much better than me.”

There’s no one better for me. I love you.

“When you wake up and feel better, we’ll move to Mustique Island. You loved it there. We can swim and tan all year. Fish. We’ll pick wildflowers, weave garlands, and wear them all day. I just want to see you smile. That’s what I live for, Bella.”

You’re hilarious with the garlands, Rocco, and Mustique was a perfect honeymoon, but let’s stay in Florence. I love it here.

“I’m done with Marini Corporate. If I have to step down, so be it. I’ll carve my own path as a Marini, with or without the trust. After what happened with Luca, the board knows Mr. Sears running the trust is a threat. If Uncle Walter wants to take the chair, let him have it. I’m ready to let go. Saying it now, I realize I don’t care anymore. Luca was right. The money belongs to Marini, and the CEO should want the job. That’s not me. I know if I hadn’t worked so much, I’d have done more to get that bastard.”

That’s not true, Rocco. None of us thought he’d do this to me.

“I will produce films. I have my own properties, stocks, and shares. We’ll build a beautiful life, I promise. If I get a studio, great. But you with me, Adelina, and I have all I need. Your career matters, and I’m here for you, always. I swear I’ll make you happy and keep you safe every single day. You come first, Bella. No one else.” His sobs filled my ears, and I wanted to reach out and comfort him, but still couldn’t move.